standpoint

Lots to cover today. Let’s get started.

→ When I’m driving, I often think about the speed limit. Whether it’s 25 mph or 65 mph, we all get kind of pissed when someone is not travelling at, or above, the limit of speed on any given road. I’m wondering if there’s any other aspect of our society in which we have similar expectations.

→ Holy shit, as I’m writing this I’m watching FoxNews’ On The Record with Greta Van Susternen and have come to the conclusion that everyone who has anything to do with this show should be fucking ashamed of themselves. In describing the earthquake, Greta showed why she is on the forefront of responsible journalism with words like, “mass chaos”, “people running for their lives”, “a terrifying 45 seconds which, to many, seemed like a lifetime”, “tremors paralyzed the city”, “some people at the Capitol saying it felt like a plane hitting the building, a very eerie and frightening reminder of 9/11”, and “it was a terrifying afternoon.” The earthquake, while probably caused a great deal of inconvenience to many, didn’t really register than more of a shimmy to those of us who experienced it. What’s worse, it seems like the media was consummately disappointed about the complete lack of casualties as evident in this article’s last line, “Only minor injuries were reported.”

→ The folks who work at A&E must have the highest suicide rate of in the history of television. With shows like Hoarders, Relapse, Beyond Scared Straight and Intervention to name a few, it’s pretty much the highlights of how people can screw up their lives. I understand that the premise behind airing these programs is that viewers like to watch to feel better about their own lives but that’s equally pathetic.

→ For the rest of their time together, I think it’s entirely safe to say that former NJ State Assemblyman Pat Delany will never ever again lose an argument with his wife. For instance, maybe she sends him to the supermarket for an assortment of items and maybe he comes home with the wrong kind of cereal. She might get annoyed and say something like, “Dammit, Pat, I wrote it down on the list. Why didn’t you look at the list?” Sample rebuttal? “Hey, I stopped reading shit you write ever since you sent that racist email to Carl Lewis.”